Mother’s Day: Ecoprincess mom makes sure play makeup is safe for kids

Tara Verkuil and her daughter, Lucy, 8 years old, with Oliver spend time at home in Larkspur, California, on Wednesday, April 22, 2015.

Tara Verkuil and her daughter, Lucy, 8 years old, with Oliver spend time at home in Larkspur, California, on Wednesday, April 22, 2015.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

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Tara Verkuil created Ecoprincess, an organic play makeup for children, in 2011.

Tara Verkuil created Ecoprincess, an organic play makeup for children, in 2011.

Photo: Courtesy Of Ecoprincess

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Larkspur resident Tara Verkuil founded organicbeautynow.com in 2009 and an offshoot line of products, Ecoprincess — organic play makeup for children — in 2011. Seen here are a variety of products in different forms of packaging. less

Larkspur resident Tara Verkuil founded organicbeautynow.com in 2009 and an offshoot line of products, Ecoprincess — organic play makeup for children — in 2011. Seen here are a variety of products in ... more

Photo: Courtesy Of Ecoprincess

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The bath time gift set from Ecoprincess, $33.99.

The bath time gift set from Ecoprincess, $33.99.

Photo: Courtesy Of Ecoprincess

Mother’s Day: Ecoprincess mom makes sure play makeup is safe for kids

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For mother-daughter duos, love and acumen go hand in hand. Combining talents and passions to create successful brands — ranging from organic makeup and demi-couture clothing lines, to jewelry and graphic design shops — they say, is all in a day’s work. Here is one of our four-part series on mother-daughter businesses.

Landscape painter and marketing executive Tara Verkuil is an artist type whose most ambitious creation to date, aside from her daughter, Lucy, 8, may just be a line of organic makeup for children.

In 2006, while pregnant, Verkuil shopped for organic products and spent a lot of time researching ingredient lists on the Internet. In 2009, she created www.organicbeautynow.com to sell organic bath and beauty brands she trusted, then developed her own line with the same name. At age 5, her daughter began wanting to play dress-up. Verkuil, fearful of play makeup with lead-based ingredients often sold in toy stores, created Ecoprincess, a water-soluble, nontoxic mineral makeup sold in reusable mesh or cotton polka dot bags.

“It’s not real-life makeup — no 'Toddlers and Tiaras,’ ” Verkuil says, referring to the TLC network’s child pageant show. The products, sold on Verkuil’s site, will also be available at her new Pure Glam boutique, a blow-dry bar for moms and daughters, opening in Corte Madera in June.

At a trade show in New York last year, Lucy was more than an inspiration as a saleswoman, too, dressing up as a princess and talking about safe play makeup. “It was super, super sweet and amazing as a mom, seeing your daughter doing that,” Verkuil said. “I think she feels this is her project, too.”